Restaurants in Memphis, TN

Memphis sees a lot of action. Pilgrims come to wail the blues or to hobnob with high-cotton society, and they come to honor Elvis Presley. The culinary scene boasts a remarkable range of good restaurants fine and funky (and some that are both). Barbecue is the banner meal, pork, of course — on the rib, chopped to smithereens, or pulled from the slow-cooked shoulder in bite-size shreds. In this city, you will find such beguiling curiosities as barbecue pizza, barbecue salad, and barbecue spaghetti; but the primary things to eat are ribs—wet or dry—and the Memphis specialty known as a pig sandwich. Two long-time favorites are Charlie Vergos Rendezvous, which is a beer-hall party that features intense dry-rub ribs, and Cozy Corner, where Cornish hens, ribs, and pork shoulder might be the best smoke-cooked meats in town. Beyond BBQ, consider such eating gems as The Arcade (since 1919) for biscuits and country ham and the Little Tea Shop (1918) for pot likker and plate lunch.

Memphis’s Most Famous Dishes

A basket of six hot donuts: plain, powdered sugar, cinnamon

Donuts

Tall, gnarled-top light gold biscuit

Biscuits

Burger on a tender bun with lettuce, tomato, onion, and mayo ... car hop service

Grilled Hamburger

Sweet, crunchy cole slaw tops moist chopped pork in a bun

Pig Sandwich

Memphis’s Best Restaurants

Woman’s Exchange - 4 Vegetable Plate
Woman’s Exchange

MEMPHIS, TN

Blue Plate Café - Banana Pancakes
Blue Plate Café

MEMPHIS, TN

Charlie Vergos Rendezvous - Dry Ribs
Charlie Vergos Rendezvous

MEMPHIS, TN

Barksdale Restaurant - Biscuits
Barksdale Restaurant

MEMPHIS, TN

Payne’s - Barbecue Bologna
Payne’s

MEMPHIS, TN

Cozy Corner - BBQ Cornish Hen
Cozy Corner

MEMPHIS, TN

Interstate Bar-B-Q - Pork Sandwich
Interstate Bar-B-Q

MEMPHIS, TN

Gus’s World Famous Hot and Spicy Chicken

MEMPHIS, TN

Little Tea Shop

MEMPHIS, TN

Alcenia’s

MEMPHIS, TN

Central BBQ

MEMPHIS, TN

Bryant’s Breakfast

MEMPHIS, TN

Earnestine and Hazel’s

MEMPHIS, TN

Alex’s Tavern

MEMPHIS, TN

Cupboard Restaurant - Vegetable Plate
Cupboard Restaurant

MEMPHIS, TN

Leonard’s - Pork BBQ Sandwich
Leonard’s

MEMPHIS, TN

Half-and-half pizza: BBQ & Italian meats & veggies ... Memphis BBQ Italian style
Coletta’s | Memphis BBQ Italian Style in the Elvis Room

MEMPHIS, TN

A&R Bar-B-Que - Barbecue Sandwich
A&R Bar-B-Que | Memphis BBQ at its Best

MEMPHIS, TN

Four Way Restaurant | Memphis Soul Food Destination

MEMPHIS, TN

Gibson's Donuts neon sign at night
Gibson’s Donuts

MEMPHIS, TN

Ham at The Arcade Restaurant in Memphis, TN
The Arcade Restaurant

MEMPHIS, TN

Memphis Articles & Guides

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Lean Greens

Memphis is our favorite place to eat pork—ribs (dry rubbed or wet sauced), chopped shoulder on a bun, country ham stuffed into biscuits, and bacon banana sandwiches—but in this...

Interstate Bar-B-Q - Sign

Mississippi Blues Highway Feast

The magic of Highway 61 from Graceland down deep into the Mississippi Delta, through cotton fields and past speck-on-the-map small towns, is all about the blues. You might be...

Cozy Corner - BBQ Cornish Hen

Memphis Barbecue Loop

Memphis is a bonanza of world-class barbecue, smoked and served in humble storefront shops as well as booming dinner halls. Anything and everything can be had barbecued in this...

Carminuccio’s - Stern Special

The Best Pizza In America | Roadfood Bests

Is there another dish as diverse as pizza? It can be an utterly simple tomato pie – nothing but sauce on crust – or it can be a multi-meat...

Meat & Three, A Dixie Delight | Roadfood Bests

What Is Meat & Three? A term used through much of the South, “meat and three” quite simply refers to a menu template that lists two to five entrees and...

Cozy Corner - BBQ Cornish Hen

Five Essential Restaurants to Visit in Memphis

The Challenge You have one day to eat around downtown Memphis. Assuming you don't want to have barbecue for all your meals -- there's no place better for that strategy...

Cozy Corner - Baloney

Bologna Sandwich

Bologna sandwiches are common. Great bologna sandwiches are rare. The very best of them, in particular the one served at the legendary G&R Tavern of Waldo, Ohio, are worthy...

Fried Chicken: The Delicious Double Dozen

Fried chicken is popular all across America and so different everywhere that it is not possible to say what city, state, or region does it best. While the process...

Lima Beans Glory | Pork Makes The Difference

Lima beans are known everywhere, loved mostly in the South, and a signature dish of Charleston, South Carolina. Soul food cooks simmer the khaki-colored pods with plenty of pork,...

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